50% of Android devices need patching

A new study has found that the number of malware designed specifically to target Android devices has increased by a factor of 41 in less than a year.

The real problem is that more than half of all Android devices have un-patched vulnerabilities, as manufacturers and carriers are failing to issue timely software updates and patches. The survey, carried out using Duo Security’s X-Ray for Android app, found that more than 50 percent of all Android devices are vulnerable at this point.

"Yes, it's a scary number, but it exemplifies how important expedient patching is to mobile security and how poorly the industry--carriers, device manufacturers, etc.--has performed thus far," said Duo Security CTO Jon Oberheide.

Oberheide plans to unveil detail findings on Friday in San Francisco. He says the 50 percent figure is actually a conservative estimate and that the number of vulnerable devices could be even greater.